WASHINGTON, D.C. – NASA renamed the street in front of its Washington headquarters to “Hidden Figures Way” Wednesday, CBS reported.
The street name honors Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Hampton resident Katherine Johnson for their contributions to NASA’s space program.
In the 1950s, human mathematicians were called “computers.” NASA’s “Computer Pool” relied heavily on the extraordinarily complex, hand-written calculations of black female employees.
Johnson, Vaughan, Jackson and the Computer Pool made calculations for groundbreaking, successful space missions, including Alan Shepard’s 1961 voyage — which made him the first American in space — and John Glenn’s 1962 mission, which made him the first American to orbit Earth.
The three women were featured in the novel and movie “Hidden Figures,” which shone a light on their work and the challenges they faced.
